Cloud's Choice
by Eternity-Knight
Summary: My First fanfic! After a fatal accident someone who Cloud loves dies. Upon discovering a way to revive her he remembers someone else... Finally updated and finshed!
1. Twilight Memories

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy VII Characters.**

**Cloud's Choice**

An FF-7 Story

**Chapter 1: Twilight Memories**

The sun was setting in the west in a dazzling show of color as Cloud and Tifa watched in silence. They were sitting on the porch of their villa in Costa del Sol which Cloud had bought soon after meteor was destroyed. A few months after buying it he proposed to Tifa who happily accepted. They were soon married and moved into the villa where they now lived. Cloud and Tifa had 2 children. A 4 year old boy named Chad and a 2 year old girl named Ann.

"It has been almost 8 years since meteor was destroyed," remarked Cloud suddenly. "Everyone was able to get back to lives and live peacefully again thanks to all our efforts," added Tifa with a smile. "Do you know why I bring this up?" asked Cloud. "It has been exactly 8 years to the day since Aeris died," said Cloud with a sigh. "No matter how hard I try I can't stop thinking about her. I know she died to save the planet and all but that hasn't stopped me from thinking about her," said Cloud with an air of frustration in his voice.

"I was there along with you and Barret. I saw it happen. I saw her die with my own eyes. That image has been haunting my thoughts ever since," said Cloud looking very sad. "I know that you miss her but her death helped her save the planet because if she wasn't in the lifestream she couldn't have done what she did. She knew what she was doing. She knew Sepiroth would kill her but I think that was part of her plan. She knew what she had to do and knew she couldn't do it while she was alive," explained Tifa.

"I guess your right," replied Cloud with an even heavier sigh. "Besides I will always be here with you. I will never leave you Cloud," replied Tifa as she leaned over and gave Cloud a kiss on the cheek. "You go to bed and I'll go put the kids to bed and meet you up there.

After a few minutes Tifa climbed into bed along side her husband who was lying in bed wide awake. "You need to get some sleep because we have a busy day tomorrow," said a sleepy Tifa. "I know but I just can't sleep. I am worried because tomorrow Barret wants to make me the general of his peacekeeping army and I don't have an acceptance speech ready. I don't want to get up there and look like a fool," said a worried Cloud. "Don't worry, I know you will think of something now get some sleep," said Tifa. After giving him another kiss on the cheek Tifa quickly fell asleep. Cloud lay awake for a while and thought about what Tifa had said that evening and it began to make more and more sense. He soon fell into a peaceful slumber.


	2. Cloud's Speech

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the FFVII Characters.**

**Warning! This story may contain spoilers.**

**Cloud's Choice**

An FF-7 Story

**Chapter 2: Clouds Speech**

Cloud awoke the next morning to the smell of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. He quickly got dressed and went downstairs to find Tifa cooking breakfast. The table was set and ready for breakfast. "How long have you been up?" inquired Cloud. "About an hour," replied Tifa with a smile. "Now sit down and eat so you will be ready for the big ceremony," said Tifa.

After enjoying his delicious breakfast Cloud told Tifa to call Cid and tell him to pick him up in about an hour. "I will be on the beach thinking for a while," said Cloud to his wife as he gave her a quick kiss and quietly headed towards the beach. While there he thought about what he should say. As he was thinking memories of Aeris came to his mind and as if by magic he knew exactly what to say.

Cloud returned to the villa to find Cid and Tifa waiting for him on the front porch. "Where were you Cloud?" asked Tifa, "You need to get going to the ceremony." "Yeah, we need to get to the Highwind now," added Cid with an urgent tone in his voice. "If you want to Tifa, you and the kids can come with us," said Cid. "We sure will!" replied an excited Tifa. A few minutes later they were all on the Highwind heading towards a rebuilt Midgar where the ceremony was to be held.

Upon arrival Cid hurried Cloud to the stage that had been set up in the center of town for the ceremony. Once Cloud was on his way he returned to the Highwind where Tifa was waiting. "We have seats for you in the front by the stage if you want to go to the ceremony," Cid told Tifa. "I'd love to but the kids will need to be watched because they won't sit still through this," explained Tifa. "That won't be a problem because I prepared for such an event," replied Cid with a smile. He led Tifa and kids to a huge room with padded walls and floors with toys of every kind all over the place. "Thanks, Cid I can't thank you enough," said an overjoyed Tifa. "It's nothing really. You should get to the

ceremony, it is about to start," said Cid. Tifa hurried off to watch the ceremony.

The ceremony had already started as Tifa quietly sat in her seat in the front row. Barret had already said his bit and Cloud was approaching the stand.

He began his speech. "It is truly an honor to be chosen for this prestigious position but I would not be standing here nor would any of you if it weren't for a person whom I knew very well. She was a flower girl from the slums of old Midgar and she was very kind and gentle. She was the last of a race called the Cetra. The Cetra were an ancient race who were very in tune with the planet and cared for it. Then something terrible happened that caused their numbers to thin out over the years and they began to disappear. This girl was the last of their race. She helped us save the planet but sadly she died before seeing the results of her efforts. This girls name was Aeris."

He continued "However she was still able to help us even from within the lifestream. After holy failed to stop meteor she called up the lifestream and destroyed meteor. We all owe our lives to her and I hope you all will remember what I have told you today. Remember all those who gave their lives to give you what you have now. Always remember them and their sacrifices. Lastly I would like to thank Barret for selecting me for this position. It is an honor and I will do my best. Thank you."

After Cloud was finished Barret said a few more things then wrapped up and ended the ceremony. Afterwards he met up with Cloud and Tifa on the Highwind.

"Good job Cloud!" said Tifa and Barret together. "That was an excellent speech," said Barret. "Yes, great job dear!" said Tifa with a smile. They talk for a while then Barret leaves and Cid takes Cloud and Tifa home. Once they were home they put the kids to bed and then went to bed themselves.


	3. The Fateful Day

Sorry it's been a while since I first posted this story. I lost it for a long while and finally found it and got around to posting the rest of it. Anyway, enjoy the rest of the story.

**Chapter 3: The Fateful Day**

Cloud awoke to the loud buzzer of his alarm clock. As he reached over to shut it off his eyes fell on the calendar near his bed. When he realized what day it was he got dressed and headed down stairs.

"Tifa did you know today was Memorial Day?" asked Cloud.

"It is really? Then you should go visit Aeris's grave today and pay your respects." replied Tifa.

"That is exactly what I was going to do. Why don't you come with me?" asked Cloud.

"If you can find someone to watch the kids then I will gladly come." Tifa told Cloud.

About an hour later Yuffie had agreed to watch the kids and Cloud and Tifa were on the Highwind heading to the City of the Ancients. About half way there Cid suggested they land and have lunch on the ship. As they were eating they heard a loud noise outside which everyone quickly went to investigate. When they reached the hatch the quickly climbed to the ground and ran to where the noise was coming from. What they saw completely surprised them.

A giant bird like creature was hovering over the ground not far from the ship. It was a massive bird with black feathers, huge powerful wings and gigantic talons. It began flying towards the Highwind and started attacking it. Seconds later everyone was fighting the huge birdlike creature.

The battle seemed to be going well until towards the end the creature, badly wounded and desperate, flew towards the party, talons outstretched, and grabbed Tifa before anyone could react. The beast began to fly away with her but quickly lost strength due to the wounds the party had inflicted on it and its grip on Tifa gradually weakened until she slipped out and fell over 100 feet to the ground below.

The bird escaped as everyone ran over to help Tifa.

"It looks like she's hurt pretty bad." remarked Cid.

"Well then don't just sit there, go get the ship's doctor out here right now!" yelled Cloud with a frantic tone in his voice.

Without another word Cid left and quickly returned with the doctor who immediately asked everyone except Cloud to back away and give her some air.  
After a few minutes of checking her over the doctor knew what had happened to Tifa. He slowly got up and with a very somber look on his face asked everyone except Cloud to leave immediately.

When everyone had left he turned to Cloud and said "I don't think she has much longer. She took quite a nasty fall and has massive internal injuries. There isn't much I can do for her now."

With that he turned and walked slowly away.Cloud bent over and gently picked her up and held her in his arms. Her breathing was extremely labored as she tried to speak.

"Cloud, I want you to take care of the kids when I am gone. You will need to be twice the father you have been. I know you can do it." It was apparent that it was getting harder and harder for her to breathe as she spoke again "You are the kindest man I have ever known and I want you to know that I love you very much. Always remember that wherever you are I will be with you in your heart... I love you."

With those parting words her eyes closed, her body went limp and Cloud knew that she was gone. It took a moment for Cloud to process what had just happened but when he did he broke down and just sat out there sobbing for a while.

The next day they had a lovely funeral service and she was buried in Nebielhim cemetery and a huge, beautiful tombstone was erected over her grave. After everyone had left Cloud stayed behind and stood standing there looking at her grave.

He thought to himself "What am I going to do now? The two women I loved more than anything in the world have been taken from me. I am alone again." As he stood there wondering what to do next it started to rain, but he didn't notice.


	4. A Chat on the Lifestream

**Chapter 4: A Chat on the Lifestream**

Tifa opened her eyes to see that she was lying in an open field full of flowers and surrounded on 3 sides by beautiful trees. The sky was blue and cloudless with the bright yellow sun shining overhead. The temperature was pleasantly warm and there was a slight breeze.

"This place is beautiful!" remarked Tifa quietly to herself as she sat up and looked around. As she got to her feet she felt that something was not right but she could not put her finger on it. As she looked around her eyes eventually settled on a far away figure that looked to be walking towards her. As the figure got closer she could make out a pink dress and brown hair. It suddenly dawned on her who it was.

"Aeris, is that you?" gasped a pleasantly surprised Tifa.

"Of course it is silly, where you expecting someone else?" replied Aeris with a smile.

"Where the heck are we?" inquired Tifa.

"We are in the lifestream. This is a manifestation of what the planet used to look like. Everyone who dies eventually returns here." stated Aeris.

"Wait just a minute, are you saying I'm dead?" asked a worried and very confused Tifa.

"That is exactly what I'm saying." replied Aeris. "You are dead just like me." said Aeris.

"That's funny, I don't remember dying. The last thing I remember was we were fighting a big monster that looked like an overgrown crow. It picked me up but dropped me. That is the last thing I remember. The fall must have been what killed me." Tifa told Aeris.

After about an hour of chatting about past events Tifa commented "It would be great to be able to see and talk to Cloud again."

"I agree. I wouldn't mind talking with him again. You know what, I think I know of a way but I have never tried it before. It is called dream talk. When the person you want to talk to falls asleep you can enter their dreams and talk to them. It only works while they are asleep and if you don't leave the dream before they wake up then you are trapped there until they go to sleep again." said Aeris.

"We should try it. Next time Cloud falls asleep lets visit his dream and talk with him." said Tifa with excitement.

"We should leave; it will be getting dark soon. Follow me I will take you to where I have been staying these past 8 years." said Aeris as she quickly led Tifa to a huge building at the far end of the field.

Inside Tifa saw many other people who were going about as if they didn't care or didn't know they were dead.  
Aeris led Tifa up a couple flights of stairs and then down a long hall and stopped in front of a large set of double doors.

"Since I helped save the planet and all I get to have the best room here." she said as she unlocked the doors and led Tifa inside.

The room was lavishly furnished with two huge four post beds, several mirrors, plush couches and chairs, a beautiful bathroom with a large jetted tub and several sinks, and to top it off a huge TV that dropped out of the ceiling at the push of a button.  
"Holy cow! The dead really know how to live!" remarked Tifa as she gazed around the beautiful room.

"Go ahead and make yourself at home. You can have the other bed if you want." Aeris told Tifa.

"Thank you so much Aeris." replied Tifa with a grateful smile.

They stayed up and chatted for a while then went to bed. As Tifa went to sleep she thought to herself "Being dead isn't bad. I could enjoy this." She soon fell into peaceful sleep.


	5. Cloud's Dream

**Chapter 5: Cloud's Dream**

Tifa awoke to a familiar voice singing. As her vision cleared she saw Aeris in front of a mirror fixing her hair while singing to herself. 

"Aeris, I didn't know you could sing so well!" exclaimed Tifa as she got out of bed.

"Well when you spend 8 years in a place like this you discover talents that you never knew you had." replied Aeris with a smile. "By the way I had your clothes washed, dried and ironed. They are on the end of your bed." she told Tifa.

She grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom. After a long, hot shower she quickly got dressed, fixed up her hair and went downstairs. She found Aeris in the lobby in a chair reading a paper.

"What are you reading Aeris?" inquired Tifa.

"It is a list of all the people that arrived yesterday. When I saw your name on the list it surprised me. I thought you would get to live out your life, not get it cut short like mine." replied Aeris with a slight frown.

"Well anyway we are going to visit one of Clouds dreams today. I can't wait!" said Aeris now with a huge grin on her face.

"I can't wait either!" exclaimed Tifa. "Let's go, follow me!" said Aeris excitedly.

Aeris led Tifa to a large room with lots of different machinery surrounding a huge portal like thing. "That's the Dream Portal. It is what lets us visit people's dreams. It is very important because we dead people can only communicate with the living through their dreams." stated Aeris.

Aeris went over and talked to the guy at the controls and a moment later the portal suddenly started glowing a bright purple color then faded to pale blue hue. Aeris walked over to Tifa again and said "Cloud is already asleep so we can go now. We have until this alarm starts to go off to get out of the dream. Once it goes off we have 1 minute to hit this button to make the portal appear to get back otherwise we are stuck until he falls asleep again." said Aeris as she strapped the watch looking device to her wrist. They walked over to the portal and stepped through.

They found themselves in what appeared to be a rundown church. "I recognize this place." said Aeris as she looked around. "This is the church in the sector 5 slums where I first met Cloud. I wonder where he is?" she said while taking in her surroundings.

After looking for a while they found Cloud standing next to the patch of flowers growing in the church.  
At first he didn't notice them but when he looked up and saw Tifa and Aeris standing there his face lit up and he got the biggest smile on his face that either of the girls had ever seen.

"It is so great to see you two again! I have missed you both very much." said an overjoyed Cloud.

They just stood there and talked for what seemed like forever then the alarm to get heading back went off.

"Well see you Cloud." said Tifa.

"Don't forget about us Cloud." added Aeris with a smile as she hit the button for the portal.

"When will I get to see you two again?" asked Cloud.

"We will try to visit as often as we can but remember it will only be while you're asleep." said Aeris as both her and Tifa stepped through the portal and disappeared.

When they got back Aeris took Tifa on a tour of the building then they spent the rest of the day chatting in Aeris's room.

As Tifa went to sleep she thought "It would be great if there was a way for Cloud to bring us back to life so we could see him all the time." She was quickly asleep.


	6. The Idea

**Chapter 6: The Idea**

Cloud awoke as his alarm was going off. He sleepily reached out and shut it off.

"That was one heck of a dream." thought Cloud to himself as he got out of bed. "It was a nice dream, nice, but extremely weird." he thought as his eyes found the calendar on the wall. "Today is that breakfast that the gang was planning for me to cheer me up. I'd better get ready." he remembered as he quickly got dressed and headed out to the restaurant where it was going to be.

As he pulled up he saw Yuffie jumping up and down franticly waving him down. Standing next to her was a guy that Cloud didn't recognize. "That must be her boyfriend." thought Cloud as he quickly parked and walked over to Yuffie.

"So, Yuffie who is this?" asked Cloud.

He looked to be in his mid 20's, with dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. He was in good shape, tall and appeared to be very strong.

"This is my boyfriend Jason. I met him in Wutai while he was there on vacation. He is a professional monster hunter who specializes in finding and destroying powerful monsters." said Yuffie with a hint of pride in her voice. "Anyway, let's get inside everyone is waiting for you." said Yuffie as she hurried him inside.

Yuffie led Cloud to a large table where many people were seated. He saw Barret, Cid and his wife Shera, Red, Vincent, and a few of his other friends. "Here's your chair Cloud" directed Yuffie as she led him to the head of the table.

"Thanks guys, I really appreiciate this." said Cloud with a smile. They ordered their food and were soon enjoying a wonderful breakfast.

While they were eating Cloud spoke, "I had a very interesting dream last night. I was in the Church back in the Sector 5 slums 8 years ago. I was standing near the patch of flowers in the church when this blue portal thing appeared. I couldn't figure out what was going on. Then 2 people stepped through the portal and you won't believe who it was. It was Tifa and Aeris."

"Are you serious?" questioned a surprised Barret.

"You're kidding, right?" asked a puzzled Yuffie.

"I'm very serious. It was even stranger when they walked up to me and started talking to me. I could even understand them and talk back. We had a long conversation then Aeris pulled out this little remote and pushed a button which caused the portal to appear. They said good-by and then walked through the portal after which I woke up.

"You're right Cloud that was weird." remarked a puzzled Yuffie.

"Yea, man that was really strange Cloud." said Barret.

"It was really nice seeing them again though. What's funny though is that Tifa died only a few days ago and Aeris died over 8 years ago. I wonder why both of them would be in my dreams at the exact same time. Anyway seeing them made me realize how much I really miss them. On my way over here I got to thinking that what if we could bring them back to life? Wouldn't that be great?" said Cloud to his very confused friends.

"Bring them back to life? How in the world are you going to do that?" asked Yuffie.

"I agree. There isn't anything that I know of that can bring dead people back to life." said Cid.

"Yeah, man there isn't anything that can do that" agreed Barret.

"There has to be something out there and I'm going to find it!" announced Cloud. "By the way guys thanks for the breakfast. I'll be at the library if anyone needs me." said Cloud as he walked out to his car and drove off.

"What the heck is up with Cloud?" asked Yuffie.

"I don't know. He's never acted like this before." said Barret.

"Well, whatever it is, let's just leave him alone for a while and see what happens." said Cid. So everyone went home and went to bed except Cloud who was at the library pouring over book after book.


	7. The Search

**Chapter 7: The Search**

Yuffie woke with a yawn. She looked over at the calendar on the wall and groaned. It was her turn to take a meal over to Cloud. Cloud had been in the library for almost 3 weeks straight. After a while everyone decided to take turns making sure he was ok and that he had enough to eat. 

She rolled slowly out of bed, took a shower and got dressed. She went down to her kitchen and found Jason cooking breakfast.

"I didn't know you could cook!" she exclaimed as she looked at all the food set out on the table.

There was enough food to feed an army.

"Well, it never hurts to have a few diffrent talents. Anyway, eat up and then we'll take the leftovers to Cloud." said Jason as he sat down to eat.

Yuffie and Jason sat down and ate a wonderful breakfast. "Jason that was great! Those were the best pancakes I have ever had. You are quite the cook."

Yuffie said as she helped Jason clean up and put the leftovers in a box to take to Cloud.

"Well let's get these over to your friend at the library." said Jason as he led Yuffie to his car which was parked out front.

They drove over to the library and went inside. Yuffie asked where Cloud was and the librarian pointed them to a pile of books in a far corner of the upper level.

"He has been up there for quite some time now. I don't know what he is looking for but he is very intent on finding it." the librarian said.

"I don't know what has gotten into him. He was never like this, but ever since he lost Tifa in a monster attack a few weeks ago he has been acting very strange." Yuffie said to both the librarian and Jason who looked very surprised.

On the way over to where Cloud was Jason asked "How come you never told me he lost his wife?"

"I didn't want to tell you because it brings back painful memories. I should tell you too that he also lost one of his dearest friends 8 years ago. Her name was Aeris. She was killed by a man named Sephiroth. Right before he came here he was talking about finding a way to bring them back to life. I think that is what he is looking for." Yuffie told Jason.

When they reached the far corner they found several huge stacks of books. They had to weave in between them to get to Cloud who was seated at a small desk quietly pouring over an old book. Yuffie spoke up "Cloud, we brought you some breakfast."

Cloud looked up from his book and saw Yuffie and Jason standing there looking at him with puzzled faces.

"Thanks Yuffie and Jason." he said as he started eating.

"So, uh, Cloud have you found anything?" asked Jason as he moved some books off of some chairs and sat down along with Yuffie.

"I haven't found anything and as you can see I have been through quite a few books. This is the last of them. He opened it up and began reading. After several minutes his face lit up with a smile.

"I think I have found what I have been looking for!" Cloud exclaimed. "This is an old record of an ancient city built by the Cetra. It was the most advanced city of its time. It is said that they developed a way to bring the dead back to life. The City was abandoned and the keys to the gate locked away in different parts of the world. If I could find these keys, the city, and this machine I could bring Tifa and Aeris back to life." said Cloud with hope in his voice.

"Well Cloud, let's go tell the others and bring that book with you." said Yuffie as all three of them went out to her car.


	8. The Plan

**Chapter 8: The Plan**

**  
**When they got to Cloud's house Yuffie called up everyone and told them to come over to Clouds house right away. Once everyone got there Cloud had them sit while he told them about his plan. "First I want to thank everyone for all the meals and support while I was in library. Now what I really called you all here for is to tell you what I found and what I am going to do." said Cloud.

"While searching I came across a legend of an old city built by the Cetra almost 1000 years ago. According to the legend it was the most advanced city of it's time. They had perfected technologies that we have yet to even dream of. One of those technologies was the ability to bring the dead back to life. This is how it worked. The machine would ask the user who they wanted revived. It would then use a special link to the lifestream to search for the life energy of the chosen person. It would use that energy to recreate the body and bring the person back to life while adjusting for how long the person had been deceased." Cloud explained.

"That's amazing, Cloud." said Yuffie.

"Yeah, imagine if you could get that to work" said Jason.

"The problem will be finding the city, I'd think" said Cid.

"There is one other thing. The only way to get into the city is to find the 5 keys to the gate. The keys are scattered all over the world and guarded by powerful monsters. Then the city itself is also guarded. We need to get the keys and then find the city." said Cloud.

"Well everyone that's what I wanted to tell you." said Cloud. "I'm going to bed. I'm bushed. See you in the morning." said Cloud as he got up and went to his room.

Back in the lifestream Aeris and Tifa were getting ready for another trip to Cloud's dreams. They both took a shower and got on their best outfits. Tifa was wearing a pure white dress that stretched down to her ankles and Aeris had on a gorgeous red dress with matching high heels.

"Why are we getting all dressed up to see Cloud again?" asked Tifa.

"We haven't seen him in a while so we want to look nice, that's why." stated Aeris.

"Ok, let's head over to the dream portal then." said Tifa.

They soon arrived at the portal and quickly found themselves inside Cloud's latest dream. This time they were in Nibelheim in Clouds house. They found Cloud on his bed staring at the ceiling.

They walked towards him as Aeris called out "Hey! Cloud!" He looked up and saw the two girls looking down at him. He sat up and got a better view of them. They both looked beautiful. He just sat there for a moment before speaking.

"Tifa, Aeris its great to see you two again." said Cloud. "You both look gorgeous." said Cloud.

"You might think I am crazy when I say this but I think that I have a way of bringing you both back to life." Cloud told the stunned girls.

"Are you alright Cloud?" asked Aeris with a concerned look on her face.

"Have you gone insane?" asked a worried Tifa.

"I think losing both of us was too much for him to handle." Tifa whispered to Aeris.

"I think you're right." Aeris whispered back.

"I'm not going insane." said Cloud.

"I found the legend of a city built by the Cetra long ago. It was a very advanced city. It is said that they had a machine that could bring the dead back to life by using a very special connection to the lifestream to call a deceased persons life energy back and use it to construct a new body into which the life energy is placed thereby bringing the deceased person successfully back to life." Cloud said to the girls who were listening intently. "I am going to go find that city and that machine and bring you both back to life." said Cloud.

"That sounds crazy enough to work." said Tifa.

"I agree. It does sound a little farfetched but it could work." said Aeris.

"I wonder why I have never heard of this city." thought Aeris. The alarm signaling that their time was just about up began to ring. "Well, let's get going now." said Aeris as she hit the button to make the portal appear.

"It was great to see you two again." said Cloud to the girls.

"It was nice to see you too." said Aeris with a smile.

"See ya later Cloud and good luck. You have our full support." said Tifa as she gave Cloud a thumbs up. They both disappeared through the portal.


	9. The Five Keys

**Chapter 9: The 5 Keys**

The next morning Cloud awoke and quickly got dressed. He went over to his closet and pulled out his ultima weapon. He dusted it off and shined it up because it hadn't been used for quite a while now. When he was ready he walked out his front door and found the rest of the gang standing there ready to go.

He smiled and said "Thanks guys. You didn't have to help me you know."

"Cloud, we all want to see Tifa and Aeris again so we are going with you to help out anyway we can." said Yuffie grinning.

"Thanks everyone I really appreciate this." said a very happy Cloud.

They all quickly boarded the Highwind and Cloud told them where to go first. They flew over to the Nebiel mountains and landed at the foothills.

"The first key is in a secret cave at the top of the tallest mountain." said Cloud. "Keep in mind that it is guarded by a very powerful monster." said Cloud.

They headed up the mountain and when they got to the top Cloud checked his book and quickly found the secret cave.

When they were inside they looked for the key and found it at the back of the cave. As cloud was reaching for it a huge monster attacked the group. This monster wasn't a pushover and the battle was really long. Eventually Cloud finished the monster with an omnislash. After the battle Cloud grabbed the key and they quickly returned to the Highwind.  
This is how their day went. Cloud would tell them where to go according to his book and Cid would fly them there. They would beat the guardian and collect the key. This took the entire day and when they had all 5 keys they returned to the Highwind and tried to decide what to do with them until they had found the City. It was eventually decided to keep them under lock and key onboard the Highwind. The next day Cloud treated everyone to a dinner at the best restaurant in Costa del Sol to thank them for helping.

"Thanks for helping me find the keys." said Cloud. "Now I am one step closer to getting back Aeris and Tifa." said a smiling Cloud. "Once I find where the City is I will let you know." said Cloud.

"We will be ready any time just call." said Cid. The others quietly nodded their heads in agreement. Everyone thanked Cloud for the dinner and went home. Cloud went to bed that night happy as can be.


	10. The City of the Cetra

**Chapter 10: The City of the Cetra**

As the sun climbed over the mountains and lit the sky its light fell upon an already awake Cloud who was hurriedly eating breakfast. Cloud was extremely excited about today. He was going to have the only two people he had ever loved back with him. He could hardly wait and had already spent half the night pouring over his old book and had determined the location of the lost city using clues and data from the book. Once Cid arrived Cloud was confident he could not only get them to the city but also to the machine that was to bring Tifa and Aeris back to life.  
Cloud heard a loud knock on his door and dashed over to the door and flung it open to find a surprised Cid standing in the doorway.

"Are you ready to go Cloud?" asked Cid.

Cloud replied"Of course I am Cid! Let's get this party started!" They both ran over to the Highwind and before you could say gone, they were gone.  
Cloud led them to a large island in the center of the northern ocean. It was covered in snow and surrounded by huge icebergs.

"No wonder no one comes here." remarked Yuffie while staring at the huge icebergs.

"Yeah, any ship that tried to sail through there would be cut to shreds." added Jason.

"Well that's what an airship is for," said Cid with a huge grin.

They landed on a level patch of snow and were quickly outside. With Cloud leading the way they trudged through the snow for what seemed like forever before arriving at a huge stone wall.

"This is where we put the keys." said Cloud as he brushed the snow off of 5 small holes in the wall. When the last key slid into place the gigantic wall opened to reveal a large ruined city.

They slowly advanced into the city with Cloud leading the way. As the party was walking Cloud warned,

"Be careful where you step, this place is filled with booby traps."

After about 2-3 hours of walking they came to a large building which, surprisingly, still had its roof in one piece. They opened the massive doors and stepped inside.  
Inside the building it was quite warm. As the party loosened their jackets, scarves, hats, ECT they looked around the vast building. Cloud's eyes settled on the large machine standing in the center of the room. It was a rather large machine with many tubes and wires connected to it and running everywhere. Cloud approached it and after a quick reference to his book pushed a few buttons and pulled a few levers and the machine hummed to life.

"I can't believe it still works! This is great!" exclaimed Cloud startling the others who were still in awe of the huge building.

Everyone approached the machine and gathered around Cloud as he scanned his book on what to do next. He issued some instructions to Cid, Yuffie and Jason who quickly took up their positions as Cloud walked over the chair where the user sat and quickly sat down and hooked himself up.

"This is it, the moment of truth. Will it work? If it works I will get to see Aeris and Tifa again."said Cloud with hope on his face and in his voice.

"Alright everyone NOW!" yelled Cloud to Cid, Yuffie and Jason who each threw their respective levers or pushed their respective switch.

The machine hummed, first slowly and quietly and gradually got louder and louder as a white light began to form on the two beds where Tifa and Aeris were to appear. The light and humming intensified until it was almost unbearable. The light was so bright it temporarily blinded everyone until at last it began to fade and as it faded, vision was restored and Cloud focused on the two beds to see two bodies lying on the beds.

He got up and ran over to find that the two bodies were in fact Aeris and Tifa. They were both lying on their backs with their eyes closed but they were both breathing to Clouds great relief and joy.

"Everyone, it worked! They are both alive and breathing well." said Cloud as he called everyone over.

"Congrats Cloud! I had my doubts as to whether or not it would work but it did great job!" said Jason.

"I agree, great job Cloud" said Cid.

They all proceeded to congratulate Cloud on a job well done.  
At that moment Aeris slowly sat up and opened her eyes to find Cloud and the gang standing around her. She looked over and saw Tifa on a bed only a few feet away.

"What happened? Where am I? What the heck is going on?" asked Aeris looking back at Cloud.

Cloud happily answered "Welcome back to the land of the living, its been a while." said Cloud with a grin. "We used this machine to bring you both back to life." he added.

"It feels good to be flesh and blood again. Thank you so much Cloud." said a happy Aeris as she stood up and gave Cloud a huge hug.

As she pulled away Tifa slowly sat up and looked around at everyone gathered around her.

"What is going on Cloud?" asked Tifa.

"We just brought you and Aeris back to life using this machine here." replied Cloud as he knelt down and helped Tifa to her feet. "How do you both feel?" asked Cloud.

"I've never felt better." said Aeris.

"I feel like a million bucks." replied Tifa.

"That's good to hear." said Cloud.

Cloud gave Tifa and Aeris some warm clothes and some winter gear and when they were ready headed back to the Highwind. On the way home Cloud filled them both in on what had been happening the last few years. When he was done he asked Tifa and Aeris to come to his room. On the way over Tifa sensed that Cloud had more feelings for Aeris than for her so she knew what was coming up.

Upon arriving at the house in Costa del Sol Cloud asked to be alone with Tifa and Aeris for a bit. After everyone had left he led the girls up to his room in the huge house.  
He spoke "After long and careful thought I have come to realize that the one I love most is you Aeris. It took a lot of soul searching and thought to come to this decision. I hope that I haven't hurt you Tifa. If I have I wish to apologize and hope we can still be friends." said Cloud turning from Aeris to Tifa.

Tifa with tears in her eyes said "It's ok Cloud I understand. It took me a lot of thought while I was in the lifestream with Aeris to come to realize that you loved her more. I accept your decision and will move on with my life now that it has been granted to me once again." With that she turned and walked quickly from the room with a small smile on her face.


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

It has been almost 10 years since that day. Cloud and Aeris are happily married with 2 new children along with the other 2 whom Tifa had allowed him to keep. They lived in their home in Costa del Sol and were well to do. Cloud was still a General and received a hefty paycheck for his services from Barret. Aeris had opened a chain of flower shops which were doing quite well.  
Tifa found a new boyfriend whom she quickly married. They live together with their 2 kids in Kalm where Tifa has opened a new bar which has been doing quite nicely. Her husband is an engineer working for Cid in his shops building airships.  
Yuffie and Jason were married only a few days after Cloud and Aeris. They now live on Wutai with their 2 kids as well. Yuffie is the leader of Wutai and Jason is her assistant. They both live quite comfortably.  
This is what happened after the great adventure told in this story. In the end everyone got what they wanted and everyone is happy which is the way it should be


End file.
